Syrian opposition figures meeting in Turkey say they are exploring ways to topple President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Hundreds of dissidents gathered in Istanbul on Saturday, a day after Syrian security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters, killing at least 32 people.

Conference leader Haitham al-Maleh told participants that Syria's current “regime” could not rob them of their freedom. Al-Maleh is a lawyer who spent time in Syrian prisons.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed Syria's unrest as she met with Turkish officials at a separate location in the city. She told reporters Syria's “brutality” must stop and a “legitimate, sincere effort” was needed to enact government reforms.

The so-called “National Salvation Conference” is one in a series of recent meetings organized by opposition figures. The group says a similar meeting planned in Damascus was canceled due to Friday's bloody government crackdown on demonstrators.

Witnesses and activists say at least 23 people were killed in the capital, Damascus, and its suburbs on Friday. Security forces also shot and killed protesters in the southern city of Daraa, the central city of Homs and the northwestern Idlib province.

The Associated Press said Saturday that tens of thousands of Syrians chanted anti-government slogans as they attended funerals for some of Friday's victims.

Friday's anti-government protests were some of the largest to date. Tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied across the country. Some waved large Syrian flags and chanted anti-government slogans.

The state-run SANA news agency said pro-government rallies took place in several cities.

Syrian President Assad is trying to crush a four-month old opposition uprising against his 11-year autocratic rule. He has made promises of political reforms, but opposition groups have dismissed the offers and demanded an end to the deadly crackdown on their movement.